Retro Expo took place on
05 and 06 December at the Business Design Centre in London. The event comprised of: The Retrofit Summit
- a one day policy conference on 05 December exploring the refurbishment and
energy efficient retrofit of existing buildings from a national, strategic
perspective. The Retrofit London
Conference – supported by the Mayor of London, this
event on 06 December explored the challenges and opportunities of low
carbon retrofits in the capital. A series of
workshops looking at the technical aspects of retrofits. An exhibition of
retrofit innovation including leading names such as
BASF, EDF, Kingspan, Travis Perkins and SIG360 Retrofit and The Retro Expo
Awards Ceremony - recognising excellence in retrofit products, projects and people across the domestic, commercial and public sector markets.

25th June, 2013

New research has found that a third of Green Deal assessed households would “definitely or probably” install at least one energy saving measure, in a boost to the beleaguered retrofit scheme.Around 19,000 assessments have been carried out as of the end of May, but industry sources tell Construction News this was “no indication at all” of actual installations carried out.That number is expected to be between 200 and 300 when figures are revealed for the first time this week.In March, energy secretary Edward Davey said he expected the Green Deal and ECO to result in a million separate home improvements by 2015.The Research published today also found that 47 per cent of households who had received a Green Deal advice report after an assessment said they either had or were taking energy saving measures.68 per cent said their motivation for having an assessment was to save money and 38 per cent said they were motivated to reduce their energy use for environmental reasons.Construction News last week revealed that major retailers including Tesco and Marks & Spencer were reviewing retrofit schemes in the wake of a major Green Deal provider administration.Green Deal awareness has also doubled over the early months of the scheme, from 10 per cent in November 2012 to 22 per cent in May 2013.

Source: Department of Energy and Climate ChangeThe Green Deal, the government’s flagship carbon reduction policy that aims to overhaul 14m inefficient homes in the country, was due to launch in October 2012, but loans only became available on 28 January.It was designed, along with the Energy Company Obligation that provides incentives for energy firms to upgrade homes, to replace energy-efficiency schemes, the Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT) and Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP), which expired in 2012.Energy and climate change minister Greg Barker will today say: “It’s fantastic to see that Green Deal assessments are leading to people taking action to make their homes more efficient. This new research clearly shows that the majority of people are finding assessments a valuable experience that can usefully help them both understand where they are wasting energy and importantly what they can do to deal with it.“It’s also encouraging to see awareness of the Green Deal growing. This is a long term programme that will last for years and decades, but we’re already seeing evidence that people are aspiring to improve their properties, make them more efficient and take control of their energy bills.”